Bedford North Lawrence victorious in Class 4A State championship

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Story by Jeremy Hood, Video Story by Ken Sothman

TERRE HAUTE- If you want to talk about a game that had the elements of excitement, energy, and passion, then look no further than the Hulman Center at Indiana State University, where the Bedford North Lawrence Lady Stars capped off a perfect 28-0 season by knocking off the Fort Wayne Southside Archers 54-51. The Lady Stars will now return back home to Bedford as your Class 4A State champions for the first time since 1991.

“To get to this point, really helps you understand how special of a group of kids have to be,” Stars Head Coach Kurt Godlevske said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around a group that’s so unselfish and shows so much care about their team, when you match that with their high basketball IQ, it’s really what makes the difference for us.”

It didn’t come easy for the Stars however, as this game had 12 lead changes and was tied five times, making every possession even more important than the last. However, the one play that would define the game for the Stars came at the 5:22 mark in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Alexa Bailey, who is also daughter of assistant coach and former IU stand out Damon Bailey, took advantage of a bad pass to get a steal off, take it all the way down and convert an old fashioned three point play to put the Stars up three to shift the momentum heavily in their favor. Bailey would end up with 19 points and afterwards, provide an emotional father-daughter moment, as they were finally able to share with each other what it feels like to win a state title.

“To do this with my father is simply the greatest thing in the world to me,” Bailey said. “Our team has spent every day together, we’ve all become best friends. We all just worked so hard and we knew we had to stick together and play as a team.”

One of Alexa’s teammates, Dominique McBryde, also contributed 19 points of her own, despite fighting the butterflies in front of a raucous crowd.

“It was so nerve racking playing in front of all of our loud great fans, but we knew we had to keep it together if we were going to win this.”

The Stars will have much to look forward to next season as the defending state champions. They will be returning all five starters, and only graduating two seniors, making these lady stars all but a favorite for a repeat in the 2014 Class 4A State championship.

“Our future certainly looks bright,” Coach Godlevske said. “But we still have some things we could be better at, and that’s what makes me excited for next year, is going in to next spring year and improving so that can be an even better team next season.”